Democrats look to slow down GOP's secretive Obamacare repeal plans

"Republicans are drafting this bill in secret because they're ashamed of it, plain and simple," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

WASHINGTON — Amidst mounting frustration about Republicans' secretive deliberations to repeal Obamacare, Democrats plan to throw sand in the gears of the Senate to try to force a more public debate.

Democrats have begun objecting to all "unanimous consent requests" in the Senate this week, a senior Senate aide tells the Daily News, a move that will essentially grind the chamber to a halt with the goal of forcing a public debate on the GOP's repeal plans.

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Senate Republicans have steadfastly refused to publicly discuss the details of their bill, which some hope to ram through the upper chamber before they leave for the 4th of July recess. While senators acknowledge that the bill is nearing completion, unlike in the past with almost every major bill the GOP hasn't held a single committee hearing or even publicly shared the draft texts of what they're working on.

That's led to complaints from a few Republicans and fury from Democrats.

"Republicans are drafting this bill in secret because they're ashamed of it, plain and simple," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. "These are merely the first steps we're prepared to take in order to shine a light on this shameful Trumpcare bill and reveal to the public the GOP's true intentions: To give the uber-wealthy a tax break while making middle class Americans pay more for less health care coverage. If Republicans won't relent and debate their health care bill in the open for the American people to see, then they shouldn't expect business as usual in the Senate."

Democrats had planned to begin delaying votes Monday night, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) canceled them after they made their plans clear, ostensibly because of inclement weather in the D.C. area.

"We've had numerous productive discussions on the way forward," McConnell said of the bill on the Senate floor Monday afternoon, offering no details of the bill itself or when it will get voted on.

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But Democrats planned to give speeches late into the night on the Senate floor as a way to attract more public attention to the GOP's secretive ways.

On top of slowing the Senate to a crawl by refusing to agree to most consent requests, Senate Democrats plan to make their own requests and parliamentary moves to try to force the bill into committee hearings, moves that will be defeated but they hope will attract the public's attention to the almost unprecedented secrecy the GOP is using to move through this bill.

Democrats say that honorary resolutions like the one honoring the victims of last week's shooting, may be allowed through.

It's unclear exactly how close Senate Republicans are to finalizing their health insurance bill, which they are looking to pass with zero Democratic support. They can lose only two of their own members and still pass the bill, and how and when expanded funding for Medicaid is curtailed remains a sticking point.